Britain can lead the world in food and farming

She said the industry was a "high-tech powerhouse" at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan and vital to the country's future security.

"That old divide people sometimes still talk about – the farm gate – means less and less. Farmers are anything but cut off behind their gates," said Mrs Truss. "They are increasingly working hand in hand with manufacturers, retailers, and scientists in a food chain worth more than £100bn to our economy."

With the world population forecast to rise from 7.2bn to 9.6bn by 2050, and rising incomes and urbanisation, the demand for food is expected to increase by 60pc .

"I think as a country we are well placed to take advantage," said Mrs Truss, who said recent months had shown why it was right to be both ambitious and optimistic for the industry.

Sales of English and Welsh wine are on course to break the £100mn barrier and more than a billion pints of beer have been sold abroad for the first time. "No ambition is too high for British food and farming," she said.

She accepted there were challenges - not least the dairy sector where dairy farmers had seen their price fall from 33.8 pence per litre at the start of last year to today when some are as low as 20ppl.

The Government is determined to do all it can to help dairy farmers. It includes making sure they have full support from the £141m Countryside Productivity Scheme, under the Rural Development Programme, which is specifically targeted at helping farms become more efficient. Help could potentially include new capital investment for monitoring animal welfare or improving the energy efficiency of cattle housing.

She welcomed the NFU, with Defra's support , studying the feasibility of a futures market for dairy. "Defra's Resilience Group will hold talks on this in the next week," she said, "Futures could have strong potential to bring added security for farmers."

Dairy exports had risen by 60pc since 2009 and since 2010 the Government had signed deals to open 600 overseas markets to British food and farm products. Real progress had also been made in re-opening the US beef market and in China for pork and pig products which could be worth up to £60m a year

Mrs Truss said: "It's vital we stay ambitious and outward-looking to increase our security against the ups and downs of global economics and politics."

There are still huge opportunities for British producers to sell more in the UK – currently it is just 60pc self sufficient , compared to 74pc 20 years ago.

The Bonfield Report has made it easier for public sector schools, hospitals and canteens to buy high-quality local food, helping British producers win more of a £400m market. Central government has given a commitment that from 2017 it will only buy locally produced food whenever possible.

From April, it will be easier for shoppers to know the origin of their food, when packaged meat will have to carry a label showing the country where it was reared and slaughtered.

Commenting on the fact that France is worried that British food is threatening its own culinary status and is launching a world wide promotional campaign, Mrs Truss said they had every right to be worried.

"I am confident we can take on all comers," she said, "We have the entrepreneurs and go-ahead farmers to do it , taking pride in our heritage to forge a future based on innovation, technology and the quality of our great British food. This government will not allow farming to be ignored.

"Food and farming is a core part of our long-term economic plan and it is at the heart of this government's agenda for Britain's economic future."